The next day, the six of them met at a teahouse. They chatted in a private room first, then had dinner.

As someone who had cleared the game multiple times, Yi Xinming admitted he wasn’t as intelligent as Qi Yang. Initially, Yi Xinming felt jealousy and inferiority towards Qi Yang, but later he realized Qi Yang wasn’t without weaknesses; his physical constitution was his biggest flaw. Now, Yi Xinming no longer felt jealous and was willing to share everything he knew with Qi Yang and the others.

The time they returned to the real world corresponded to the time in the game, and the time spent in the game was just a blink of an eye compared to the real world, so there was no need to worry about people around them noticing anything unusual.

As for the money suddenly transferred to their cards, Yi Xinming had a guess: he thought the money might belong to other deceased players, as money couldn’t just appear out of thin air.

Upon hearing that this was a possible source of the money, Du Yong’s expression subtly changed. So, it was all dead people’s money, and they, the living, were using it. This sent a shiver down his spine.

Du Yong immediately said he didn’t need it, but Yi Xinming told him not to overthink it. Who knew if they’d be unlucky in the next game and accidentally lose their lives? While they still had time these few days, they should enjoy themselves, eat well, drink well, and have fun. After all, death in the game was instantaneous. It wouldn’t be worth it to leave this world with money but no enjoyment.

“Your comfort makes me scared,” Du Yong said with a bitter face, knowing Yi Xinming was right, but he had a mental block.

“If you want to play, just let loose and play. Don’t worry about anything. Life is inherently unpredictable. Who can guarantee a long life in the real world? Since you suddenly have so much money, you should spend it. If you don’t spend it now, someone else might spend it later,” Qi Yang said with a laugh, in a joking tone.

“Ahhhhh!” Du Yong growled, his face even uglier. He clutched at his hair with both hands, as if trying to pull it out.

“Can we really not refuse to enter the game?” Kang Lian’s smile looked more like a cry.

Yi Xinming shook his head, “If there was a way, I would have quit long ago.”

“So when will it be considered fully cleared?” It wasn’t just Kang Lian who wanted to know the answer to this question; everyone else was curious too.

“I’m not sure, but I do have a guess about how we got into the game.” Yi Xinming looked at the five people around him. Some of them had slightly strange expressions, and Yi Xinming thought they might have guessed it too.

His gaze met Qi Yang’s. Looking at Qi Yang’s clear and bright eyes, Yi Xinming knew Qi Yang was smart. This person had probably already guessed a certain possibility.

“What is it?” Du Yong leaned forward, eagerly asking.

“We all have blood on our hands,” Yi Xinming said with a smile, dropping a bombshell.

“Human lives?” Du Yong chuckled, “How could that be? If it were true, we wouldn’t be sitting here right now, but in a police station, wouldn’t we?”

“I’m not finished yet. The ‘lives’ I’m referring to here don’t just mean directly causing someone’s death. It also includes directly or indirectly participating in the cause of a death event. Even if you were just a bystander, because of inaction, merely witnessing someone else’s death, that also counts as having someone’s life on your hands.”

“Furthermore, deaths that haven’t been carried out, those in preparation, or those that were once prepared, also count.”

Yi Xinming himself once had the thought of killing, but didn’t actually carry it out. Clearly, the entity that created the horror game is extremely powerful, and knows every action and thought of theirs.

Yi Xinming believed it would be very difficult to escape and survive under the hands of such a being.

He didn’t have many grand wishes now; simply being able to live was his greatest luxury.

Thinking of this, Yi Xinming looked at Qi Yang again. When they finally escaped the school, everyone thought it was Qi Yang suddenly cutting himself that scared the ghosts, making them afraid of losing control and violating the rules, thus incurring punishment from the supervisor. But for some reason, Yi Xinming always felt something was unusual, as if there were other details he hadn’t noticed. What could it be? Yi Xinming stared at Qi Yang without blinking.

Noticing Yi Xinming’s strange gaze, Qi Yang raised an eyebrow slightly, his eyes questioning Yi Xinming about what was wrong.

Yi Xinming was slightly stunned, then smiled and shook his head, indicating that he was fine.

“I wonder if we’ll be in the same group for the next game. If I’m with other people, I always feel like my life might be in danger.” Xu Yang, who hadn’t spoken much, said. Although he was back in the real world, he hadn’t slept well all last night. He always felt that as soon as he opened his eyes, he would return to the middle school full of ghosts.

“It depends on luck. From my past few clearances, there’s a 50% chance.”

“Fifty percent is good enough, 50%.” Xu Yang looked up at Yi Xinming.

“Actually, if you think about it, being able to experience things others haven’t proves that we’re different from everyone else. Just be careful in the game, try not to fall behind, and remember to stick with the right people. If you’re lucky, you can still win by doing nothing.” This game was indeed thrilling, but they managed to get through it smoothly, which was somewhat of a win by doing nothing, thanks to Qi Yang.

“I hope to see you in the next game.” Yi Xinming didn’t hide his admiration for Qi Yang. With someone like him as a teammate, he always felt that even the most dangerous situations could be overcome.

Qi Yang picked up his tea, and as he was about to drink, his eyes flickered. He put the teacup down without drinking it.

Noticing Qi Yang wasn’t drinking his tea, Yi Xinming asked, puzzled, “Why aren’t you drinking?”

“My stomach hasn’t been feeling well lately, so I don’t really feel like drinking tea.” Qi Yang made an excuse. In reality, it wasn’t his stomach that was bothering him, but rather the child he was carrying. Qi Yang had some idea that tea shouldn’t be consumed during pregnancy.

“Then drink plain water.” Yi Xinming called the teahouse waiter in and replaced Qi Yang’s cup with plain water.

Holding a glass of plain water, Qi Yang took two sips.

Everyone else had a lot they wanted to say, but it seemed like saying it wouldn’t solve anything, so they could only keep it to themselves.

They figured that having these few days of freedom was a bonus. Originally, there were thirty people, and now only six remained. Compared to the other twenty-something, they were truly very lucky. Thinking this way, it seemed much easier to bear.

Everyone continued chatting in the teahouse, no longer about the game, but about each other. Yuan Yuan and the others were still in school. The students discussed finding a reason to take a year off, and then returning to class after a year, if they could survive in the game.

For lunch, the group found the most luxurious restaurant in Mingcheng. Everyone now had millions or even more in their bank accounts, so a meal costing tens or hundreds of thousands was no big deal.

After lunch, Qi Yang left first. As a pregnant man, he preferred to sleep in his own home.

Yi Xinming drove Qi Yang back. The two didn’t talk in the car. When the car reached Qi Yang’s street, Yi Xinming called out to him as he was about to get out.

“Qi Yang, whose life have you taken?” Yi Xinming had a certain degree of curiosity about Qi Yang’s affairs.

Qi Yang raised his eyes, his gaze indifferent: “What good would knowing that do you?”

“Just pure curiosity,” Yi Xinming smiled amiably.

“I’m preparing to kill a small life, and I haven’t given up on the idea yet.” Qi Yang said, then opened the car door and got out.

Sitting in the car, Yi Xinming watched Qi Yang walk towards the distant, towering figure.

Little life? These three words were chewed over and over again on Yi Xinming’s lips.

A child? In the days he had spent with Qi Yang, Yi Xinming didn’t think Qi Yang was someone who would harm a child, and “little life” could actually refer to many things, like cats and dogs.

Does Qi Yang also have a hobby of abusing cats and dogs?

This thought was immediately dismissed by Yi Xinming; it shouldn’t be.

Yi Xinming couldn’t guess the specifics, but he believed Qi Yang wouldn’t lie to him. Regardless of Qi Yang’s personal quirks, this person was trustworthy.

“We must be together in the next game,” Yi Xinming, who never prayed, now prayed to the gods in heaven, hoping they would hear his voice.

For the next few days, Qi Yang mostly stayed at home, keeping in touch with Yi Xinming and the others, but not going out again. Everyone communicated via phone when needed.

It seemed Du Yong and Xu Yang were staying together, along with two other girls. They had booked rooms at the hotel and had been staying together for the past few days. Compared to Yi Xinming and Qi Yang, these few were clearly weaker in terms of personal mental fortitude. Staying together provided psychological support and they could look out for each other.

Time in the real world passed quickly, much faster than in the game, it seemed. In what felt like the blink of an eye, four and a half days were over.

On the last day, the six of them gathered again, ready to enter the next game together.

This time, the beginning was different from the last. Instead of the scenery suddenly changing, thick mist began to appear around the room, gradually enveloping Qi Yang and the others. The few of them retreated, their bodies pressed together.

The mist stopped, and in the blink of an eye, the hotel room disappeared, leaving only the thick mist before them.

Everyone walked into the dense fog.

Originally, the six people were walking together, but as they walked, they got separated, splitting into two groups.

Qi Yang took a step forward, and after that step, the surrounding mist dispersed, revealing a luxurious European-style hotel. Footsteps approached from behind, and Qi Yang turned around to see Yi Xinming and Kang Lian appearing one after another. He looked behind them, but there was only thick mist, no other figures. A gust of wind blew, and the mist scattered with the wind. In the blink of an eye, the mist disappeared, replaced by rolling green mountains.

“They won’t be coming,” Yi Xinming said, looking back and confirming it as he saw the mountains behind them.

“Where did they go?” Kang Lian’s eyes widened, seemingly unable to believe it.

Yi Xinming gazed at the mountains, his voice a little heavy: “Going to other games, there are multiple games happening at the same time, not just here. I hope the games they encounter won’t be too difficult.” If they were too difficult, it might lead to a total wipeout.

This was Yi Xinming’s guess, because if everyone was really wiped out and no players survived, then naturally no players would know.

The three of them stood outside the hotel, and after a while, they continued to walk into the hotel.

The hotel door was open, and before Qi Yang even got close, he heard voices inside, as if there were quite a few people.

Yi Xinming walked beside Qi Yang, and seeing Qi Yang pause slightly, the corner of his mouth curved into a smile. If those inside were the players who arrived first, and they were talking loudly like that as soon as they arrived, it probably meant there were many experienced players. It’s good to have many experienced people, as it makes it easier to clear the game.

However, Yi Xinming didn’t have much hope for those people. Instead of cooperating with them, it was better to firmly grasp Qi Yang, who was by his side. Yi Xinming had a strange premonition that Qi Yang was special, and he alone could be worth countless others.

“I wonder what conditions are needed to clear this level. I hope it’s not too difficult!” Kang Lian muttered to herself.

Qi Yang glanced at Kang Lian. Unlike Yi Xinming and Kang Lian’s thoughts, Qi Yang was wondering if the NPCs in this game would be like those in the last game. If they were, then no matter how difficult the game was, it wouldn’t be difficult for him. The death that others feared would not happen to him, and the ghosts would tremble with fear that he might get hurt.

The three of them, each lost in their own thoughts, stepped through the villa’s front door. As soon as they entered, they saw a group of people in the living room, mostly young men and women. More than half of them had calm expressions. As for the others, judging by their faces, Qi Yang knew they were mostly newcomers. These newcomers seemed to be in much better shape than those Qi Yang and his group had encountered in the middle school; no one was shouting about wanting to quit the game or feeling like they had been kidnapped.

“Newcomers? No, they’ve probably cleared the game. Are there more of you behind them?” A man, not the tallest but seemingly the strongest, wearing a sleeveless t-shirt, spoke up from the crowd. He scrutinized the three people who had just entered, his gaze lingering slightly on Qi Yang. He then smiled, a smile that wasn’t particularly friendly.

Yi Xinming stared at the man who spoke, recognizing him instantly. He had teamed up with this person in a previous game and remembered that this man was, in some ways, even more sinister than the ghosts. Moreover, the man was homosexual. Seeing the man’s malevolent gaze fixed on Qi Yang, Yi Xinming stepped in front of Qi Yang, subtly shielding him with his body.

The man in the opposite living room scoffed at this scene.

Qi Yang heard a sneer, but at the time his attention was not on the man at all, but on the corner to the right of the living room, where a man stood. The man was dressed in black, and although there were windows around him, the light from outside seemed not to reach him. At the same time, the man seemed to notice Qi Yang’s gaze, and he slowly raised his eyes, their eyes meeting.

Qi Yang almost couldn’t control the surprise on his face, and even his right hand moved slightly, wanting to place it on his abdomen, but he managed to restrain himself in time.

He never expected to meet this person here, this man who was his one-night stand and the father of the child in his belly.

📘 The complete novel is available for download in PDF via the link below.